When do babies get easier ? More routine ? When do u feel human again ?

I have 3 boys aged 8,6,and 3 but I cant for the life of me remember when i felt normal again.

The reason being is that im self employed and if im going to take materity leave again I need to work out how long for - Im sure with my other 2 i had a week before birth and a couple of weeks after but this time think i may need longer

so from birth to going back to work - how long ? Baring in mind i dont get paid while off so need to get back as soon as possible.

How many weeks till baby becomes easier - till im not wanting to sleep or cry all day ? I will have to hget up to get my other 3 packed off to school anyway so will be at home with baby so if working would just mean having more children with me ( the ones i look after ) but im not sure how easy that would be - i guess it would just be like having younger siblings though right - like when i had ds3 ds 2 was still at home so if i went back to work and had my childminded kids back it wouldnt be any different to if i had more of my own ?

Am i making sense ? ha ha

ANYWAY if you understood any of that and wanted to try and give me an nswer feel free :-)

Thanks ladies

I think it depends on the baby for the most part. Some babies are fussy while others are more content. I will tell you what was a huge help to me though - when my little bugaboo was born he had a really hard time breastfeeding. It took him about 2 months to really get the hang of it. Once he did though, the disaster that was nighttime feeding became virtually a non issue. We co-sleep with him and even at almost 10 months when he cries for milk at night I just kinda roll closer to him and give him the breast and pretty much fall back to sleep right away. The not sleeping is what makes it the worst (I think) so if you're planning on bf, if you're able to get your baby to co-sleep and eat right off the breast, it may be a big help to you if you're not so tired from not sleeping at night. Good luck!!

Thanks hun Id love to co sleep but hubby is totally against it. I think he worries about rolling onto the baby or smothering he/she under the covers etc - erhaps its something i should look at in more detail like a little one sided crib m y side of the bed so baby isnt near him..does such a thing exist ?

I think it'll really depend on the babe. We were incredibly lucky. My little guy has been on a sched since 2 months old!!!!!! Slept through the night at 1.5 months and by 2 months naps were into a routine as well. Of course I was nursing then but at 8 months when I stopped & I had to change his schedule, it didn't affect him at all. Since day 1 he is soooo easy going! Such a content little guy. I am nervous this one will be the exact opposite haha ;) hope somebody can help better with this!!

With both of my girls I took 12 weeks off, DD1 slept through the night at 6 weeks and DD2 was about 8 weeks. As soon as they started sleeping through the night I put them in their own bedrooms and then I was able to get a routine down so I could get up and get myself ready for work first and then I would get them up and fed and ready.

12 WEEKS wow thats ounds so soon for people that take 9 months but sounds like forever to me when ive only had 3 weeks max but its different for me I guess as i work from home caring for children so i kind of figure if ive got the baby i may as well look after the others but wanted to take atleast a few weeks to just be on my own with him/her

It took me about 6 weeks with DS3. Time to heal, get bfing working, get into a routine... but it depends on the baby too, how quickly they start sleeping in longer stretches, etc. You might be ok after 3-4 weeks with lots of coffee, lol. :)

Im thinking 6 weeks is do able and fair >? Maybe see how I feel after that - see how the parents feel - if they are happy for me to take longer - if the other childminders covering my work load can cover longer etc..... I think i will put 6 weeks down as my minimum when the time comes.

Wow. You all are so lucky. Both my DSs took six MONTHS until they were easier!! But both of them had really bad reflux.

You should check out the portable cribs from Arm's Reach. They're made specifically for putting to the side of your bed. I, too, co-slept but my SIL used the Arm's Reach and loved it!!

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Originally Posted by Mum23boys

Thanks hun Id love to co sleep but hubby is totally against it. I think he worries about rolling onto the baby or smothering he/she under the covers etc - erhaps its something i should look at in more detail like a little one sided crib m y side of the bed so baby isnt near him..does such a thing exist ?

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Maybe a bassinet for the new arrival set up right next to your bed is what you need? As soon as baby cries, you can just pick the little bundle right up and lay next to you to eat. Meanwhile you're laying down and resting instead of being up and trying to prepare a bottle in the dead of night. I'd just put the baby between you and DH for the night feeding in case you drift off to sleep while you're feeding.

Being able to get a solid 7 hours of sleep with only minor interruptions each night made a huge difference for us. It was just so much easier to get through a day with a good night's sleep! Good luck!!

First I wanted to say if you are thinking of co sleeping try the Arms Reach co-sleeper. It was a godsend with DS2. Second to answer your question it took 8 wks with DS1 and DS2 had colic so that was a lot longer. It took 2 weeks to "heal" so I would definitely say 2+ another 2, if you can take that much, is minimum. I think you can only start feeling normal again when you can get sleep for a block and that was at 4-6 months.

Thanks ladies - Im not even pregnant yet ( that i know of ) but already looked at co sleepers but as space next to my bed is limited ( just big enough for moses basket ) im limited to the ones i can use but I have seen one that is perfect called the NCT bednest - BUT it is super expensive !!! Last baby - not sure i can justify spending that much but I guess I will get some of it back selling it on afterwards so I think im going to keep an eye out for one. :-)